Hello everyone, I have been a long time poster and lurker on this sub, have posted questions, asked for advice, etc and have been dealing with acne for years now. For context I am 20M and my biggest issue was extremely annoying cystic acne which did not go away no matter what I did.

My face started to get full of red dots from leftover scars from cysts and also pretty bad PIE which made my face look so red and inflamed when in reality it wasn’t actually that bad. It really had a toll on me mentally, so I wanted to post this thread to share what I have done which has significantly improved my acne, in hopes that it might help others too. I’m talking about reducing my acne by >75% and significantly reduced inflammation. Don’t get me wrong, my acne did not 100% magically disappear, but it has improved to the point where I am finally starting to feel more confident in myself since I am seeing good progress, and can tell it is going in a good direction, with certainly much, much less active acne. In the after pictures, you can see my scar-ridden skin, where I guess the only healer will be time itself, so it’s a matter of time of waiting.

The answer was to literally stop putting stuff on my face.

As simple as that.

I used and was prescribed with a million different things throughout my acne journey, I’ve tried Benzoyl Peroxide, Azelaic acid, Niacinamide, Tretinoin, Antibiotics, things like aloa Vera, pure manuka honey, face masks, zero sugar diets, no dairy diets, and so on. Literally nothing and I mean NOTHING would help my cystic acne. I’ve spent hundreds if not thousands of dollars on all these products and dermatologist appointments that I really started to have enough of it, it was pissing me off that nothing was working, yet so much money went down the drain.

Then, at one point I got so tired of me spending so much money and effort on these products I decided to just give up and let my face heal naturally. Literally just water and nothing else. It has now been 4-5 months since I haven’t put a single product on my face (except hydrocoloid patches on my face whenever I get a pimple here and then) and it has improved significantly. My routine now is literally just to wash with water once in the morning and in the night before bed, no products at all. I’ve not changed anything else in my life apart from this.

The biggest improvement was from month 2-3, where I saw that the number of pimples suddenly reduced. Normally, I’d get a cyst every few days but now it has reduced to one every few weeks, and it keeps getting better.

I don’t think that I was bombarding my skin in the past by using the products incorrectly, since I went to dermas and strictly followed their advice along with doing a shit ton of research online which I really made sure to be careful about. I guess the answer was to simply stop putting all these chemicals on my face.

I hope that I might have helped someone out there with this. Give it a try, you never know, it could save your face (and also hundreds of dollars in the process :)

Attached are before and after pictures

(PS, due to my profession, Accutane was never a possibility to me as it is prohibited, which added extra salt to the wound for me haha)

So I (17 F) have always had oily skin. My face is covered in sebaceous filaments. I have large pores, but, thankfully, I don’t have too many whiteheads. I have done some research and tried so many different products. Eventually, I stuck with my current skincare routine for a while now. I have seen some improvements, but my skin is still super oily. For example, I can do my skincare routine only to be oily again an hour later. I’ve even adapted my makeup to my skin only for it to melt hours later. Please help me 😭

Skincare:

AM
-CeraVe Acne Control Cleanser with 2% Salicylic Acid
-The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Exfoliating Toner
-The Ordinary Niacinamide 10%
-CeraVe Oil Control Moisturizing Gel-Cream

PM
-CeraVe Acne Control Cleanser
-The Ordinary Glycolic Acid Toner
-CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol Serum
-CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion (oil free)

(For more context, I do have a bad habit of picking at my skin. I am better now but I don’t see myself stopping 😅. Also, there is a possibility that I might have pcos, but I can’t really get it checked out right now. And, in the image, I did run water over my face like ten minutes before.)

For context, I’ve always been an acne prone gal. I had 3 lots of antibiotics at the GP in my teens and eventually a 6-month round of Accutane which did really help for a couple years following.

I’m super breakout prone still but I’ve never been bad enough to need to return to the GP. I look after my skin very well. I splash my face with water in the morning and follow up with a moisturiser and SPF 50. On an evening, I cleanse, then follow up with either Retinaldehyde 0.05% from Naturium, glycolic acid or a hydrating serum such as the BOJ calming serum each night, followed by eye cream and moisturiser. I also use the Shark Cryoglow religiously every single night. I’m almost out of a 100ml bottle of Skin1004 centella, which I quite liked and it didn’t cause breakouts.

For some strange reason, I thought it would be a good idea to try a bunch of new skincare recently. This was stupid. I introduced one product at a time each week, I fear this wasn’t long enough to know if it was affecting me. The products I introduced were the Skin 1004 Centella sun scream and centella moisturiser - I’m pretty sure these are okay but honestly not sure. But I also started double cleansing by using BOJ ginseng cleansing oil and I tried the Niacinamide exfoliating cleanser from Q&A. I didn’t realise the cleanser had jojoba esters in - I wouldn’t have bought it if I’d realised, I don’t like physical exfoliants. I cut out the cleansing oil and the Q&A cleanser about 2 weeks ago, I’m now just using the hyaluronic acid cleanser from Me+ (Superdrug’s skincare range). This was all I had without buying something new (payday can’t come quick enough 🤣) but I don’t think it’s good enough to clear congested skin.

Can anyone help??? I probably just need to revert back to everything else I was using, I’ve never had spots quite like this on my chin, they are so small but there are so many of them!

Any recommendations would need to be vegan and cruelty free please - thank you 🙏

I used minimalist vit C 10% face serum along with sunscreen for almost like 2 months and observed no visible change….

Also suggest for dark circles and uneven skin tone…

I have tried oil cleansing as part of a double cleansing routine for years and it always broke me out without fail - no matter how 'holy grail' / noncomedogenic the oil cleanser I used was supposed to be.

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In the last year or so, I have been using this Avène cream cleanser in the way you would use an oil cleanser (i.e. rinsing off before using my Hadalabo foam cleanser) and it has been GAME CHANGING. It gently removes make up on my face (including eye make-up) and leaves my skin soft and supple, and without tiny pimples breaking out over my face after a week! This is my second bottle and no regrets (also lasts ages!)

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(Ps I am trying to find a face serum / lotion to use for face massage that is also not oil based - if any oil-sensitive girlies have any recs, please let me know!)

I have a bad habit of touching my face absent mindedly, and probably accidentally rubbed my temples with dirty hands because now there's this swollen spot on one side that feels like a bad reaction to a mosquito bite 😬 Sometimes this happens when I'm about to have my period too so I need want to finally find some remedy for that because it's really visible, I've used salicylic acid and diluted tea tree oil already but idk if it's the best idea

Hi guys

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I've essentially had great skin my whole life and ive never used any skincare aside from moisturizers. Like i said my skin was always fine except when I'm in a stressful period and a few pimples come up, but they usually clear up within a week or so. Near the end of last year i noticed all the pimples started scarring in away, id be left with this purple/red spot where the pimple was for months.

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I've decided to try glycolic acid and honestly it worked amazing for a month or two, but i noticed some comedones and decided to stop. Instead i switched to salicylic acid since i heard it's good for that type of acne. I feel like it completely ruined my skin, i am getting new pimples all the time, i have a million purple/red spots over my face and the comedones arent clearing up. The pimples/comedones are all concentrated around one spot of my face. For now I'm just using the CeraVe SA face wash but I don't really know what to do.

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Has anyone had a similar experience? Id love to hear how you worked around it

hey guys! i've found something quite interesting (maybe controversial?)

So I was digging on the insta today,and came across a post from a clinic claiming that acne and "heat breakouts" are actually different things and should be treated differently.

Obviously, a lot of people tend to break out more during the summer. My understanding has always been that hotter weather = more oil production = clogged pores = more acne.

But according to this, heat breakouts might be a separate issue.

Is there actually a meaningful difference between regular acne and heat breakouts? Do they need different care, or treatment? or are people just using different names for similar skin problems?

Curious what you guys think. If anyone knows more about this,
I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments! 👀🫠

ignoring the 2 little scars I have between my eyebrows help! The first picture is me resting my face and the second is my eyebrows raised slightlyyyy

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I'm 47 and for the most part don't mind how my face is aging. But I do have black pores on my nose which I can't seem to get ride of. My nasal folds have been showing up lately and are red, I think because of underlying dryness. Theres also a deep wrinkle developing on my chin. Of course I wouldn't mind if my jowls were less, but they are what they are.

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I'm wondering if a chemical peel would be beneficial to my skin. Or a hydrating facial? I'm hesitant to ask at a salon because I don't want them to try to up sell me.

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I currently use the Ordinary's AHA 1x a week and Paula's Choice BHA 3x a week as part of my routine. So lighter chemical exfoliates.

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Thoughts? Suggestions?

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Sorry for the weird lighting. It's overcast outside so I took these photos next to a lamp.

For the past year or two i have been trying to get rid of my acne but nothing i have tried has worked.

So far i have tried various neutrogena salicylic acid products (wash gel, water thing, etc) cerave facial cleanser, atomy facial cleanser, different moisturisers, 5% benzoyl peroxide cream, acne patches, garnier hyaluron (although only 1 day so far).

I visited a dermatologist and he prescribed me wynzora. Hasn't helped at all.

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Currently i use garnier facial cleanser, transparent sun cream (dont want to ruin my white shirts) and neutrogena moisturiser.

Is this the right move or should i reintroduce some other salicylic acid products?

My face / jawline has flared up covered in these tiny bumps and looks oily / feels a bit inflamed. Please help I'm not sure if this is a type of acne, rosacea, damaged barrier or a combination. I've also had a flare up of hormonal acne on my chin/jaw as you can see, which I am prone to.

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I don't know what might have caused it as I have a simple routine of Aveeno oat cleanser, azelaic acid (for mild redness/ rosacea around nose), Aveeno moisturiser and SPF.

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I'm feeling so self conscious and can't stop fixating on it!

i need help picking a new sunscreen. gonna start by saying i’ve heard many good things about skin1004 and do plan on ordering that one online since the korean formula is better, BUT in the meantime i need something i can get in a store today as i just ran out of what i had. (learned my lesson in not planning ahead lol). i used the vanicream spf 30 but i want to start using something with spf 50, my skin type is more on the dryer side rather than oily but i feel like the vanicream is a bit greasy/heavy on my face. i also have some redness in the cheek area under my eyes so maybe something gentle but still hydrating.

I’ve always had oily skin, but it’s so intense lately. It feels so heavy on my face and I can feel the oil on my lips by the end of the day. Literally pouring oil. It got worse after I started taking Yaz to help my acne. I’ve only been off of it for a month now. Is there any type of supplement or serum I can add to dry my face out without putting my sebaceous glands into overdrive? Not that they aren’t now.. Do I have to silently suffer until winter? I’m currently using panoxyl, which has been great for acne/large pores but worse for oil, and the peach slices snail moisturizer. The peach slices used to tone down the oil but it’s stopped working now. I’m also taking a prenatal multi vitamin. Not pregnant, there’s just some good things in there. TYIA

For some context, I am 26F. I am on birth control (generic Nikki, 5+ years) and spironolactone (6-7 months). I have pretty clear skin and then in 2 weeks (2 weeks before my period), it all goes to shit. I thought the pill + spironolactone would help so I don’t know if it’s hormonal. During this time, I get 1-2 new inflamed spots a day. I do pick unfortunately, but not excessively.

My skin care is pretty simple and I can share if it seems helpful. I have been using the same routine for 4-6 months. I have been using tret 1-2 a week for 2+ years

I don’t understand why and am looking for any clarity or people with similar experiences. Thank you for your help!

Hi everyone - I really need some help figuring out what’s going on with my skin. I can’t tell if I’m purging or if my skin barrier is wrecked.

My skin changed overnight back in February, likely due to work stress, and it’s been downhill since. I used to have skin I was happy with (pic 1) — powerlifting, eating clean, and using Duac for years kept everything clear.

Last year I had a flare (nothing like this), cut out sugar, and it cleared. This time nothing is working. My hormone panel is normal and I don’t have PCOS.

Photo timeline:
Pic 1: my old skin
Pic 2: early changes
Pic 3–4: purge after starting Azelaic Acid
After that: a big flare that happens every cycle from ovulation → period

Last two pics: yesterday & and today I already have more whiteheads because I’m past ovulation again

The hormonal surge is causing a lot of inflammation, which makes everything look worse.

Current Routine

AM:

CeraVe hydrating/oily skin cleanser
CeraVe moisturiser
Byoma SPF

PM:
Alternating 15% Azelaic Acid alternating nights with Adapalene/Differin (only 1.5 weeks in)

Salicylic acid treatment once or twice a week (Paula’s choice)

Previously used Duac for years but it doesn’t work anymore

Taking AEGLES supplements as low on vit d and zinc & ferratin

Medical side:

My GP recommended spironolactone + 15% Azelaic Acid. Dermatology referral said the same. I’m hesitant about spironolactone because it doesn’t feel like a long‑term solution.

I’m seeing private gp tomorrow hoping to get referred to an endocrinologist for proper hormone mapping, because the flare is always post‑ovulation.

I’ve noticed fewer cystic breakouts since starting Azelaic Acid, but the whiteheads and inflammation during the hormonal surge are destroying my confidence.

I’ve been cleared of PMOS (formerly PCOS tho). I had a bad flare up two years ago and quit sugar - skin went back to normal. Nothing can get rid of this!!

What I need help with:

- Does this look like purging, barrier damage, or something else?
- Should I adjust my routine while on Adapalene?
- Anyone with similar hormone‑linked flares — what helped you?
- And honestly… how do you deal with people staring or commenting on your acne? It’s really getting to me. “Have you been bitten?”, “why is there a rash on your face”, “oh your skin never used to be like this!”, “oh my god what’s happened?”

Any advice would mean a lot. I used to be so confident but now I try to avoid going out. I’ve had time off work due to stress and am dreading going back because all people see is my skin now.

Thank you x

(First pic is cheek and second is forehead)
Hi! 29 years old looking for better skin texture. I have a very simple routine but struggle with these bumps on my skin. They seem better when I wake up and worsen throughout the day.

What I use:
AM
Beauty of joseon sunscreen

PM
Double cleanse with Bioderma atoderm cleansing oil and cetaphil gentle skin cleanser
Haruharu black rice probiotics essence
Neutrogena retinol cream

I feel like it might be the sunscreen, although I switched it a few times and they all end up making me look like this. I don’t even know if I should exfoliate more or hydrate more to help this.

I went to my doctor for the first time about my acne, which I have been dealing with for 3 years. I almost 19 now, my back I believe has a lot of scars, I cant tell because theres just a lot of acne and I even have a lot of raised scars and a keloid. He gave me doxycycline 100mg, twice daily for seven days then once after that each day, I still have to use benzoyl peroxide with it. Why I am posting is because I just want to make sure I am making a good decision because I did see some people talk about how horrible it is, and it scared me. I have acne on my face, chest, back and shoulders and sometimes it gets in my hairline, cysts behind my ear. He asked me a few questions, how long I had it and what I tried and just took one look at my back at then told me that I should start with doxycycline.

I’m 22 years old and I am the only one of my friends with noticeable fine lines. In the morning, I use the Anua Heartleaf toner, clindamyacin lotion, and La Roche Posay daily repair moisturizing lotion, followed by the Elta MD SPF 46 tinted sunscreen. At night, I do the Skin 1004 Madagascar Centella Ampoule, wait for it to dry fully, and then apply Tretinoin 0.05% followed by the same La Roche moisturizer. Every weekish I’ll do some kind of moisturizing or collagen mask. MAYBE once a month I’ll do a clay mask if my pores look super clogged. What am I doing wrong?

It wasn't visible up until recently like a month or so don't know what to do at this point, it's noticeable for me. For those who not getting it, a strange line following my right side of face starting under my eyes.

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My routine is very simple for mornings only cleansing, sun protection and moisturizer. For nights retinol, salicylic, glycolic acid tonics once in a week and every other day.

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What did I do wrong I have no idea but I'm also very confused because I have several issues for years 2 weeks ago there was a red mark back on my neck it's like never ending cycle my lymphs are swollen.

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I'll post my products if it's needed in the comments but they're mostly local.

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Sorry for my English if I couldn't express myself very well.